All in the family: Barry and Tina Barnette with pets Cole and Nilla

Barry Barnette is 7th Circuit solicitor and wife, Tina, is a nurse at Greer Memorial Hospital. Cole and Nilla are their 7-year-old Pomeranians.

Michael Justus/michael.justus@shj.com

By Kim Kimzey

Published: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 3:55 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, February 15, 2013 at 3:55 p.m.

Barry Barnette is 7th Circuit solicitor and wife, Tina, is a nurse at Greer Memorial Hospital. Cole and Nilla are their 7-year-old Pomeranians.

How did your dogs join the family?

Tina's groomer had encouraged her to get a puppy. She said she made a mistake taking her children, Kelsey and Ben, with her. They picked out 6-week-old puppies named Cole and Nilla for the colors of their coats. Barry had been told they were bringing home one puppy.

“Barry got in the back of the car to get one out and goes, ‘Do you know you've got two dogs in there?' And I said, ‘No,'” Tina recalled. “He goes, ‘Are you just keeping it until the other one gets grown up and then we're going to take that one back?' And I said, ‘No.'”

“It was quite a surprise for him,” she said.

The dogs mirror their kids' personalities. Nilla is laid back like Kelsey, while Cole has Ben's energy.

Cole and Nilla display “sibling rivalry.” They vie for affection, placing their paws on Barry and Tina's hands when they want attention.

“If you don't pet him, he'll bark at you,” Barry said of Cole.

But they're also close – playing and sleeping together.

What's unique about them?

Nilla looks human, such as when she sits on her rear haunches and bottom and throws herself back. “I've never seen a dog do what she does,” Barry said. It's also easier for her to receive tummy rubs.

Cole is like a clock on four legs. No matter what happens the night before, Tina said “you can hear him pitter pattering down the hallway and you know he's coming and somebody's got to get up with him” around 7:30 a.m.

While Nilla wants treats, Cole enjoys fruits and vegetables. Cole wants a carrot when Izzy, a Teddy Bear hamster who also belongs to the Barnettes, gets one. Izzy tips her bowl over and hangs out of it as she savors her nightly carrot. “It's so funny,” Tina said.

Do they do anything that drives you crazy?

Cole likes to sleep beneath the Christmas tree. “You have to go and straighten up your tree skirt 50,000 times a day,” Tina said.

“He sits under the tree. That's all he does and we had gifts underneath. That drove him crazy,” Barry said. Gifts didn't stop Cole. He dove into the packages and moved them around to make a place for himself.

An exasperated Tina finally asked Barry to take down the tree.

Cole also dumps toys onto the floor.

“He's so much like a child and (Nilla is) so much like an adult,” Tina said.

“She is so good. She doesn't do anything that would irritate anybody. She's just precious,” Tina said.

What do you most love about them?

Tina said it's their unconditional love. As youngsters, their kids rushed to greet them when they arrived home. That changed with time. “These guys always come to greet you. They are always there,” Tina said. “They're just great companions.”

She said Nilla and Cole are a “perfect fit” for their family.

“When you have a rough day or whatever, you can come home and sit down with them and it's just like they don't care what happened during your day. They're just going to lick you and love you, you know, and they're so cute,” Tina said.

<p>Barry Barnette is 7th Circuit solicitor and wife, Tina, is a nurse at Greer Memorial Hospital. Cole and Nilla are their 7-year-old Pomeranians.</p><p><b>How did your dogs join the family?</b></p><p>Tina's groomer had encouraged her to get a puppy. She said she made a mistake taking her children, Kelsey and Ben, with her. They picked out 6-week-old puppies named Cole and Nilla for the colors of their coats. Barry had been told they were bringing home one puppy. </p><p>“Barry got in the back of the car to get one out and goes, 'Do you know you've got two dogs in there?' And I said, 'No,'” Tina recalled. “He goes, 'Are you just keeping it until the other one gets grown up and then we're going to take that one back?' And I said, 'No.'”</p><p>“It was quite a surprise for him,” she said.</p><p>The dogs mirror their kids' personalities. Nilla is laid back like Kelsey, while Cole has Ben's energy.</p><p>Cole and Nilla display “sibling rivalry.” They vie for affection, placing their paws on Barry and Tina's hands when they want attention.</p><p>“If you don't pet him, he'll bark at you,” Barry said of Cole.</p><p>But they're also close – playing and sleeping together.</p><p><b>What's unique about them?</b></p><p>Nilla looks human, such as when she sits on her rear haunches and bottom and throws herself back. “I've never seen a dog do what she does,” Barry said. It's also easier for her to receive tummy rubs.</p><p>Cole is like a clock on four legs. No matter what happens the night before, Tina said “you can hear him pitter pattering down the hallway and you know he's coming and somebody's got to get up with him” around 7:30 a.m. </p><p>While Nilla wants treats, Cole enjoys fruits and vegetables. Cole wants a carrot when Izzy, a Teddy Bear hamster who also belongs to the Barnettes, gets one. Izzy tips her bowl over and hangs out of it as she savors her nightly carrot. “It's so funny,” Tina said.</p><p><b>Do they do anything that drives you crazy?</b></p><p>Cole likes to sleep beneath the Christmas tree. “You have to go and straighten up your tree skirt 50,000 times a day,” Tina said.</p><p>“He sits under the tree. That's all he does and we had gifts underneath. That drove him crazy,” Barry said. Gifts didn't stop Cole. He dove into the packages and moved them around to make a place for himself. </p><p>An exasperated Tina finally asked Barry to take down the tree.</p><p>Cole also dumps toys onto the floor.</p><p>“He's so much like a child and (Nilla is) so much like an adult,” Tina said.</p><p>“She is so good. She doesn't do anything that would irritate anybody. She's just precious,” Tina said.</p><p><b>What do you most love about them?</b></p><p>Tina said it's their unconditional love. As youngsters, their kids rushed to greet them when they arrived home. That changed with time. “These guys always come to greet you. They are always there,” Tina said. “They're just great companions.”</p><p>She said Nilla and Cole are a “perfect fit” for their family.</p><p>“When you have a rough day or whatever, you can come home and sit down with them and it's just like they don't care what happened during your day. They're just going to lick you and love you, you know, and they're so cute,” Tina said.</p>